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Peace, Peace where there is no Peace.

This weekend I heard a provocative sermon by the Dean of Houghton College Chapel, Michael Jordan, who invoked the idea of the hypocrisy of saying peace, peace where there is no peace. Jeremiah 6 says,

“13 “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain;…
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.

When I think of the GOP tax bill I think of this passage. Our leaders are telling us that this bill will benefit all of us and the wealth will not just trickle down—but roll down like a mighty river of prosperity binding the wounds of the poor and overburdened. They are shouting “peace, peace” while profiting from our burdens. (They dress the wound of my people as it were not serious

And even worse, like in the time of Jeremiah, they have bribed our spiritual leaders to help them deceive us, (87% of evangelical Christians voted for Trump) It is not that surprising as pastors have been preaching trickle down tithing for years (give us all your money and God will bless you, not actually us, but God.

We as Christians must not become complicit in this obscene display of arrogance and privilege by shouting peace, peace when so many are being victimize. Our leaders proclaim peace from a privileged place on top of the heap to those on the bottom who are suffering. “Peace, peace,” they say. “If you don’t agree with our assessment of peace, then you are bitter, angry, ungrateful or lazy.” They shout “Peace, peace,” to silence the cries of the less fortunate and justify their own greed. In this season of Advent we are to remember the blessing of Jesus becoming flesh and look with anticipation to His next coming with penitent hearts. In doing so we cannot proclaim peace to the world without doing something bold and tangible to bring peace, not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

This concept struck me while attending a Christmas concert which concluded with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. As is tradition when the Hallelujah Chorus is sung, the audience must stand. This year I felt like taking a knee for the Hallelujah Chorus. Our leaders, both political and spiritual are proclaiming peace where there is no peace and ignoring the deep wounds of our people.